Thirteen community projects across eastern and southern Idaho could receive funding under a U.S. House of Representatives appropriations bill that passed the House on July 20, despite both of Idaho’s representatives voting against it. (Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

Thirteen community projects across eastern and southern Idaho could receive funding under a U.S. House of Representatives appropriations bill that passed the House on July 20, despite both of Idaho’s representatives voting against it.

U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, made requests for funding for 15 Idaho community projects from his 2nd Congressional District to be included in the bill, and 13 of them made the cut. In a statement, Simpson said he was pleased to see the important projects for Idaho were included, but the spending level of the overall package far exceeded what he could support.

“I remain committed to prioritizing Idaho’s needs, reducing federal spending and putting our economy on a sustainable, healthy path for the future,” Simpson’s statement said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to craft a more responsible spending package that can gain bipartisan support as this bill moves forward to conference.”

The $90.9 billion bill, which provides funding for the Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and related agencies, passed the House on a party-line vote of 220-207 and is now under consideration in the U.S. Senate’s Appropriations Committee. It’s unclear if it has the votes to pass the Senate.

Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, did not make any funding requests for the bill. Daniel Tellez, spokesperson for Fulcher’s office, said by email it is consistent with his position on funding requests, which are also called earmarks. 

In statements issued in March 2021, Fulcher, who represents Idaho’s 1st Congressional District in western and northern Idaho, said he sent a letter with 17 other Republican colleagues addressed to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-California, making a pledge against requesting earmarked funding.

“At any time — but particularly when we are staring at over $27 trillion in total national debt — it is plain wrong to suggest adding new ways to spend taxpayer dollars on local pet-projects for certain members or lobbyists,” Fulcher said in a statement.

Since that letter was released, the U.S. national debt has risen to more than $30 trillion.

The U.S. Congress placed a moratorium on earmarks in 2011 in response to allegations of corruption and abuse related to the practice. Earmarks returned in 2021 with new rules — in addition to making member requests public and requiring certification that neither the member nor their immediate family members have any financial interest in a particular earmark, the list of community project funding requests must be made public 24 hours before the full committee meets to mark up the bill.

According to Congressional records, 332 of 435 House representatives requested community project funding, 106 of whom are Republicans, including Simpson. Ultimately, no Republican voted in favor of the bill on the House floor.

What Idaho projects were approved?

According to Simpson’s reports, the projects he requested that were approved include:

Two projects of the 15 were not part of the overall funding package. The first was a $7.08 funding request for rehabilitation of Mackay Dam, a 100-year-old structure that is aging and degraded to the point of critical condition. The second project was a $1.54 million funding request for an emergency services infrastructure project with a helipad and four-unit ambulance bay attached to the new Family Health Services Community Health Center in Shoshone. It’s unclear why those two projects were not approved.

by Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Idaho Capital Sun August 1, 2022

by Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Idaho Capital Sun August 1, 2022

Thirteen community projects across eastern and southern Idaho could receive funding under a U.S. House of Representatives appropriations bill that passed the House on July 20, despite both of Idaho’s representatives voting against it.

U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, made requests for funding for 15 Idaho community projects from his 2nd Congressional District to be included in the bill, and 13 of them made the cut. In a statement, Simpson said he was pleased to see the important projects for Idaho were included, but the spending level of the overall package far exceeded what he could support.

“I remain committed to prioritizing Idaho’s needs, reducing federal spending and putting our economy on a sustainable, healthy path for the future,” Simpson’s statement said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to craft a more responsible spending package that can gain bipartisan support as this bill moves forward to conference.”

The $90.9 billion bill, which provides funding for the Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and related agencies, passed the House on a party-line vote of 220-207 and is now under consideration in the U.S. Senate’s Appropriations Committee. It’s unclear if it has the votes to pass the Senate.

Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, did not make any funding requests for the bill. Daniel Tellez, spokesperson for Fulcher’s office, said by email it is consistent with his position on funding requests, which are also called earmarks. 

In statements issued in March 2021, Fulcher, who represents Idaho’s 1st Congressional District in western and northern Idaho, said he sent a letter with 17 other Republican colleagues addressed to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-California, making a pledge against requesting earmarked funding.

“At any time — but particularly when we are staring at over $27 trillion in total national debt — it is plain wrong to suggest adding new ways to spend taxpayer dollars on local pet-projects for certain members or lobbyists,” Fulcher said in a statement.

Since that letter was released, the U.S. national debt has risen to more than $30 trillion.

The U.S. Congress placed a moratorium on earmarks in 2011 in response to allegations of corruption and abuse related to the practice. Earmarks returned in 2021 with new rules — in addition to making member requests public and requiring certification that neither the member nor their immediate family members have any financial interest in a particular earmark, the list of community project funding requests must be made public 24 hours before the full committee meets to mark up the bill.

According to Congressional records, 332 of 435 House representatives requested community project funding, 106 of whom are Republicans, including Simpson. Ultimately, no Republican voted in favor of the bill on the House floor.

What Idaho projects were approved?

According to Simpson’s reports, the projects he requested that were approved include:

Two projects of the 15 were not part of the overall funding package. The first was a $7.08 funding request for rehabilitation of Mackay Dam, a 100-year-old structure that is aging and degraded to the point of critical condition. The second project was a $1.54 million funding request for an emergency services infrastructure project with a helipad and four-unit ambulance bay attached to the new Family Health Services Community Health Center in Shoshone. It’s unclear why those two projects were not approved.

Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: info@idahocapitalsun.com. Follow Idaho Capital Sun on Facebook and Twitter.

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Kelcie Moseley-Morris is an award-winning journalist who has covered many topics across Idaho since 2011. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Idaho and a master’s degree in public administration from Boise State University. Moseley-Morris started her journalism career at the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, followed by the Lewiston Tribune and the Idaho Press.

The Idaho Capital Sun is the Gem State’s newest nonprofit news organization delivering accountability journalism on state politics, health care, tax policy, the environment and more.

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Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site.